Currently many communication networks with transmitting and receiving functionalities, such as Local Area Network (LAN) etc., employ medium with copper twisted pair to simultaneously transmit/receive data, which requires at least a copper twisted pair for transmitting data and at the same time at least a copper twisted pair for receiving data. Two node devices in a LAN transmit/receive data between each other via a link. For example, in a LAN technique using a full-duplex medium, different copper wires are used for transmitting and receiving data. Thus, twisted pair at the terminal of each link needs to have a corresponding twisted pair. For example, in a star-based network, a Network Interface Card (NIC) is often used as a node device; a switch or repeater is used as a connector. For link to properly operate, the NIC must transmit data over a twisted pair which connects to a receiver such as a network hub or switch. In the meantime, the receiver of the NIC must be connected to the transmitter of the device at the other end of the link. If the twisted pair for transmitting data of a device is connected to the transmitting connector of a connecting device, then the connection of the two devices thereof obviously fails.
The majority of network addresses in a LAN assigns different connector pins to the copper wires in the twisted pairs. The twisted pair is called a Medium Dependent Interface (MDI). In the IEEE 802.3 10Base-T standard, a terminal node assigns pins P1 and P2 for connecting to a twisted pair for transmitting data, and pins P3 and P6 for connecting to a twisted pair for receiving data. For a 10Base-T network, a hub functioning as a repeater or switch assigns its transmitter to connect to pins P3 and P6 and its receiver to connect to pins P1 and P2. In the case of connecting a network interface card to a repeater, such designation is good. However, several problems still exist, which become more prominent for a switching network. When a network interface card is directly connected to another network interface card or a repeater connected to another repeater or a repeater connected to a switch, according to the pin designation of network interface, cross cables are necessary since two local network products have the same pin designation on its interface.
According to the shortcomings of the above prior art, bus switches are developed as cross-typed circuits that use low frequency to automatically switch between pins. However, this kind of product has to following disadvantage: when two devices of this type are connected together, each device may enter a “lock step” operating status, such that none of them can achieve communication linkage. In order to eliminate the phenomenon of “lock step”, developed LAN products using a similar algorithm are forced to operate with different switching frequency.
FIG. 1 shows schematic connecting architecture of a conventional 10Base-T Medium Dependent Interface (MDI). As shown, the connecting architecture is applied to a network interface card (NIC) 10 and a hub interface 12. A transmit pair of the NIC 10 is connected to its pins P1 and P2. The pins P1 and P2 of the NIC 10 are connected to pins P1 and P2 of the hub interface 12 via a twisted pair 14. A receive pair of the NIC 10 is connected to its pins P3 and P6. The pins P3 and P6 of the NIC 10 are connected to pins P1 and P2 of the hub interface 12 via a twisted pair 16.
FIG. 2 shows schematic connecting architecture of another conventional network device (e.g. a repeater or switch or hub interface). In this conventional connecting architecture, the network device comprises two connecting hub interfaces (12, 12′), for example, wherein a cross connection is required. Thus, pins P1 and P2 of the transmit pair of the hub interface 12′ are connected to pins P3 and P6 of the receive pair of the hub interface 12 via a twisted pair 14; similarly, pins P3 and P6 of the receive pair of the hub interface 12′ are connected to pins P1 and P2 of the transmit pair of the hub interface 12 via a twisted pair 16. However, the interfaces of the conventional network device have different designations such that data cannot be received or transmitted from/to the other end.
Therefore, there is a need for an automatic configuration system for automatically configuring a connecting interface of a node device on a network which eliminates the unreliable transmission/reception of data described in the prior art.